Wednesday, 29 August 2012

Birthday Card and a li'l toot

Happy Hump-day, fellow rafters...I mean, crafters. Today I have a birthday card to share. It took me almost 2 days. It's not particularly complicated, just not my usual card.

This card is for a bubbly, bouncy 5-year old with unambiguous tastes and interests. I feel compelled to share with you her thoughts: Boys under 2 are boring and boys over 3 are annoying...until they become grandfathers. All things black, grey, purple and "post-it yellow" are ugly. Pink, green, blue and "sunshine yellow" are pretty . Spinach and broccoli are yummy but fries and ketchup are yucky! A fru-fru card with stamped image of impeccably coloured victorian children ain't gonna work for this little missy.

So I made a bright pop-up card incorporating all the stuff she loves. When making cards for kids, we should really have them in mind. Often we (I am guilty of the same) create elaborate technical pieces which kids just don't understand, when all they want is something fun. I'm hoping this will be fun for little Maria. And for you... I've added a little tute at the end.

Here is the card. The pix are a wee bit over-exposed. My craft-room / conservatory was unusually sunny today.

All papers for this project are from Doodlebug 12x12 sheets. My sister sent me the cute ribbon about 8 months ago and has remained untouched until now. The sentiment is by Beth Gunnel, coloured with BIC markers and cut out with Spellbinders die. The card front is simple because ...

... ta-da! The action is on the inside! A pop-up gift box. The tute for making this box await those who have the patience to read my post! No such thing as a free lunch, dearies!

Here's a side view of the box. I made a bow with the cute bumble bee ribbon and plonked it in the middle.

In this and the next couple of pics you'll see how the card closes. The greeting is by Forever Friends stamped in blue. I also attached 2 brads... just for fun.

And here's a pictorial on how I made the box. It's a tad fiddly but not complicated at all. This is not my original idea. I saw it on YouTube, demo-ed by a Japanese / Korean / Vietnamese crafter. It was quiet difficult to follow what with the language barrier (and strange background music), so I just winged it in the end. If you're familiar with pop-up cards, then attach the box to the card base in a way that works for you.... and please, don't waste 2 days on it!

You will need 6 pieces of patterned paper measuring 2.5" x 2"- Use double sided paper because the inside will be visible. For my box I used Doodlebug Sew Plaid. Next draw a horizontal line at the 1" mark as shown above. Along the 2.5"side at the bottom half, make pencil marks at quarter inch, 1.25" and 2.25". The width of each panel is a quarter inch on the edges and an inch on the 2 inner panels - as shown above. Now cut vertically from the bottom to the 1" mark. Be careful not to exceed this mark.

Repeat on all 6 pieces and erase the pencils marks.

I cut the sides as shown above so that the box will look less geometric, and hopefully more fun.

Now we construct the box. Start by sliding 2 pieces along the centre slits.

Add one more on the side in exactly the same way, through the centre slits.

Followed by another on the other side, as shown above. At this stage will have 2 pieces remaining.

Continue sliding the slits as before, but now you have to align 3 slits and 3 pieces.

Push it down slowly and one side of the box is complete. Repeat the process with the last piece on the opposite side...

... and you should end up with a box.

Lay it on the side and gently push the box down (don't squish or smash) and it will collapse flat. With the slit interlocking, the box should not come undone. At this stage play with your new toy... its mesmerising!

So there you have it! As I said before, it's not that complicated but it requires some measure of fiddle-faddle and patience. But once you get the hang of it, it's easy peasy... just like speaking Japanese/Korean/Vietnamese. Ain't that grand?!

I hope this has been useful. It's something different and quite versatile. You can adapt it for all sorts of occasions, especially Christmas. Thanks for stopping by and if you're unclear let me know and I'll send you more pictures ... 43 to be exact! (Hahah just kidding!) I'll see you at my next post. In the meantime, check out Make It Monday #105 for tons of paper-crafting inspiration.

I'm sure there's a correct way of adhering the box to the card but here's how I did it: With the box flat, I placed it with the bottom edge running along the centre fold of the green CS. Then I carefully opened the box (it does so diagonally) and made pencil marks on the left and right pages of the green CS where the bottom points of the box rest. On the pencil marks I made a hole with the pokey tool. With a drop of Scotch Quick Dry I attached a length of twine of the 2 edges of the box that will rest on the left and right pages of green CS. When dry & secure I threaded the twine through the holes on the green CS, on both sides. Opening and closing the card while still holding to the twine, I determined how much "give" I needed (on the twine) so that the box would open in full and collapses flat with snagging. Then I taped down the twine on the back of the green CS. Finally I stuck the green CS to the card base. Does it make sense? Sorry I don't have pics, Debbie. Battery on my camera died just then.

WOW Asha, terrific birthday card & excellent tutorial sans the wierd music. ;-) I love pop-up cards but will admit to never making one, which is a shame. I simply do not have any wee one's but I'm going to find one so I can make this card for him/her. Thanks so much for joining our birthday celebration here at Top Tip Tuesday and for sharing your creative talent! Hugs

Spinach & broccoli are yummy?!? Come on, it can't be true, LOL But seriously it is a beautiful project, which - I'm sure - the Little Miss Independent will love, it's very intriguing for a 5 years old child. Thank you for joining us at the Celebrate the Occasion challenge and hope to see you back again. HugsAnna xxx

This is Brilliant I really love this idea so different and love you shared how to do it too! I really wish you has added (tip) next to your name and added that you were sharing this as a tip/tutorial it's the perfect kind of thing to share with us as a TIP and would mean you have a chance at the tip prize,, hugs Samantha x

Pretty on the outside and what a surprise on the inside. Fabulous card and sure to make little Maria happy.Thanks for linking up with MIM this weekRemember, to be in the running to win the prize from our sponsor this week just leave a comment for another entry. Be sure to mention you saw them on Make It Monday. The more entries you comment on the more chances you have of winning!Hugs, Sandy

This is just the perfect birthday card for our challenge and I love how you've made that gift box pop up on the inside of the card too. No wonder why you caught our eye at TTT, and can't wait to see what you are making for the GDT spot;) Thanks for playing at Top Tip Tuesday and good luck. Hope to see you back tuesday for a new challenge. Bettina xx

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About Me

I live near the sea in Portugal, with my sweet hubby. We have 3 loving furbabies - Peanut, a Doxie-Podengo rescue, Charlie, a yellow Lab rescue and Richard Parker, an all-black boy-cat. Over the years we've lost members of our furry family: André (14), Rosie (13), Snoopy (9), Turtle Joe (27) and Xiara (13). God speaks when tails wag and hearts purr... and how richly He has blessed us!